Jul 22 – Care for the Body!

“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God — this is your true and proper worship.” (Romans 12:1)

To bring God’s presence into our lives, our body must cooperate. That means it must be kept healthy and strong. When we neglect our body and let it fall into poor health, even our spiritual life can suffer.

It is in our body that our soul dwells. The body and the soul are interconnected — one can influence the other. For centuries, many sages and monks in India considered the body as an enemy of the soul.

But in Christian walk, God asks us to offer our body as a living sacrifice. We need a strong body to serve the Lord and meet the needs of our families. Jesus said, “I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full” (John 10:10).

Through our body, God’s presence can be revealed. When others see us, they should be able to see Christ in us — even through the way we live in our bodies. Christ lives in us as the hope of glory, and our body is His dwelling place.

It is in this earthen vessel that we carry the treasure of the Holy Spirit. Anyone who realizes that their body is the temple of God will certainly treat it with care and reverence.

Even Jesus needed a body to come into the world and fulfill His mission. So the Father prepared one for Him. “Therefore, when Christ came into the world, he said: ‘Sacrifice and offering you did not desire, but a body you prepared for me’” (Hebrews 10:5). His body enabled Him to minister, to move among people with compassion, and ultimately, to offer Himself as the atoning sacrifice for our redemption.

So, take care of your body. You need proper rest, but it should not end up in deep slumber. You need nutritious food, but it should not lead you into gluttony. You need physical exercise, but it should not end up in obsessive wasting of long hours. Dear child of God, take care of your body. It is the vessel through which God works in and through you.

Verse for further meditation: “According to my earnest expectation and hope … Christ will be magnified in my body, whether by life or by death.” (Philippians 1:20)